Three Decades of Akira Bike Slide Homages

Akira is a legendary manga and anime that has inspired generations of animators. One of the more iconic scenes in the anime is the ‘Akira slide’ where Kaneda slides to stop his bike after defeating the leader of the Clown Gang. This moment has been spoofed, copied and homaged to the hilt and a video has been created to show the influence.

Dear Ambivalence: The Mustachioed One, The Witches And The Suspended Body- Book Release

Dear Ambivalence: The Mustachioed One, The Witches And The Suspended Body…. the title sure is something, huh, but when the writer is Deadly Premonition creator Hidetaka "Swery" Suehiro what would you expect? The distinctively quirky auteur has produced some intriguingly singular videogames include Deadly Premonition, D4, The MISSING, and The Good Life. His reputation for building interesting worlds filled with quirky characters with a somewhat irregular tone is known. As a pop culture and cult TV and film fan, his references hit hard and fast and so we get influences by David Lynch, The Cat People and a lot of general Americana.

This novel is not a slight undertaking, coming in at an impressive 484 pages. The blurb is peak Swery and pulls you in:

"When the naked, hairless, brutalized corpse of a young girl is discovered in the British countryside, everyone finds themselves asking the same question: Who did this, and why...?

Normally, this quiet idyllic town's policemen spend the bulk of their time chasing around lost sheep.

But then, one day, they found her... Elizabeth Cole. 17 years old, female... Hanging upside down from the town's symbolic elm tree... Dripping with morning dew, shaved completely hairless, missing every last one of her organs.

Witch hunts... Magic wands... Milk lorries... Nuts and coffee.

Neverending rumors... Inescapable sins.

Emily, a detective who was recently demoted from her post in London, teams up with a small moustachioed gentleman named Poco in order to bring the truth to light."

On day of English language release, I bought the book and have been reading it as my October Halloween read. I can say that I'm 13% in and am loving it. The fact that the narrator is a cat took some getting used to but it works. With Swery, the obvious doesn't apply so go in knowing you're going to be for an idiosyncratic journey so strap in as it's a going to be a heck of a ride. When I finish the book I'll write a review but currently it's thoroughly enjoyable in the usual janky Swery way.

BBC Gaming Proms 2022- From 8-Bit to Infinity

The BBC Proms are a big part of the British identity, a celebration of classical music held at the legendary Royal Albert Hall over eight weeks in the summer season. The seasonal event has been an annual fixture since 1895 and is still going strong. Over the years, the music has remained focussed on classical music but this year marks a major first- videogame music.

According to the BBC Proms website:

Fantastic worlds, epic adventures, complex characters and huge moral choices – the universe of computer gaming is a natural match for orchestral music, and in the 21st century games have created a huge and passionate global audience for some of the most vivid, ambitious and inventive music currently being written for symphony orchestra. In this first ever Gaming Prom, Robert Ames – best-known at the Proms for his explorations of sci-fi and electroacoustic music – takes an electronically expanded Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on an odyssey from the classic console titles of the 1980s, through Jessica Curry’s haunted soundscapes to the European concert premiere of music from Hildur Guðnadóttir’s and Sam Slater’s score for Battlefield 2042.

The link to the BBC Sounds is here and the televised presentation will run on Friday 5th August 2022.

As a huge videogame music enthusiast (check out reviews of videogame vinyl soundtracks below) I appreciate that this form of music is being more recognised and appreciated by a larger audience.

LINK: Vinyl- The Return of the Format

LINK: Streets of Rage Soundtrack on Vinyl

LINK: Digging the Carts (Video Game Music Documentary)

LINK- The Moomins 80's Soundtrack Vinyl Review

LINK- Inspector Gadget Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- Sonic Mania Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack

LINK- Thomas Was Alone Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack Review

LINK- Akira Soundtrack Vinyl Review

Ulysses 31 Intro Parody

The 80's were an amazing time for cartoons and one of the finest was Ulysses 31. It tells a story similar to Homer's The Odyssey but is set in the 31st century, hence the 31. The 26 episode series is amazing and still holds up well. The introduction was especially catchy and there is a parody version of it. It’s in French but that doesn’t detract from its awesomeness.

Super Mario Bros: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach Available in 4K

The Super Mario Bros. had an anime produced in 1986. Titled ‘The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach’ the animation has never been subbed, dubbed or available in the West. However, a collective of very committed fans calling themselves the FemboyFilms group have restored the old print into 4K quality. It’s definitely a relic of its time but well produced. Why not check it out?

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Now in Podcast Form

I love Squirrel Girl. After the series ended a couple of years ago, I was heartbroken (Seriously, check my tweet below which was liked by Ryan North, the writer of Squirrel Girl).

The property has been lying dormant for a while now but yesterday Ryan North posted this message and got the Twittersphere going nuts…

I went to the website, The Marvel website promotes it as this:

Squirrel Girl has taken down Thanos and Doctor Doom – but now she faces something far more terrifying… living authentically. Empire State University college student, Doreen Green, has recently been outed as a Super Hero – The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl! Hoping to unify her personas in the public eye, Squirrel Girl has created a new student radio show on ESU’s own college station. With the help of her best girl-friend, Nancy Whitehead as producer, and her best squirrel-friend, Tippy-Toe in the booth; Doreen is ready to help people more people than ever with her greatest Super Hero advice. And when the going get rough, she can always lean on her heroic friends: Iron Man, Spider-Man, Chipmunk Hunk, Koi Boi and Brain Drain.

However, with a call-in show comes caller anonymity and not all the folks on the line want help – some want to crime – and crime hard! When a suspicious caller, wreaks havoc on New York City, Squirrel Girl and her friends will have to put their heroics to the test and prove that once and for all Doreen Green is the UNBEATABLE Squirrel Girl. It’s time to kick butts, and eat nuts!

MARVEL’S SQUIRREL GIRL: THE UNBEATABLE RADIO SHOW! Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl and featuring performances by Crystal Lucas Perry (Nancy Whitehead), Leo Sheng (Koi Boi), Davied Morales (Chipmunk Hunk), Erica Schroeder (Tippy T. Squirrel), Tina Benko (Rachel Oskar), and Peter Hermann (Brain Drain). Directed by Giovanna Sardelli. Original music by Justin Huertas and Steven Tran. Written by Ryan North. 

The podcast is available for free at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marvels-squirrel-girl-the-unbeatable-radio-show/id1616691866 and there are several more episodes due to uploaded so keep revisiting the website for the latest episode. I loved the series and can’t wait to dive into the podcasting adventures.

The Edge of the Ceiling- Alan Garner Documentary

Author Alan Garner is a well renown British writer whose stories have fantasy and folk tales intermingle with 'real life' to create uniquely British stories that lean into the legends of these Sceptred Isles. Although most famous for his young adults (YA) work he has written for grown-ups too, however I had never read any of his work until very recently. I've known of him since childhood as I saw a lot of his books in the school and public library but only experienced his work through the television adaptation of his book 'The Owl Service' (which I reviewed a couple of years ago here) but that was about it. I wasn't taken with the central premise but thought the show had a brooding atmosphere and so, during the cold nights of October 2021, I thought I'd revisit one of his most well-known and regarded works; Elidor. Overall, I found that Elidor was a book of its time and as such was fine to read but I definitely would not consider it a classic or essential read. Maybe I was being overtly harsh as I am a man in my forties reading a YA book but even so, I can’t imagine many of the pupils I teach now in school being enthusiastic about this book.

However, I do appreciate Garner’s blend of darkness and folklore. There was a fascinating documentary on YouTube that was from Granada TV in the 1980’s and it showed his unique way of developing his storytelling.

Square Enix Music Released on YouTube

I love listening to video game music and often it soundtracks my life, whether I’m working, running or just chilling. However, there's so many amazing soundtracks that are forgotten simply because many people don't have easy access to them. So when Square Enix announced that they were releasing their own YouTube channel with tonnes of music, live music performances and composer interviews I was ecstatic. I went on there and there are thousands of tracks available to listen to… looks like my music mix is sorted for the foreseeable.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMx60HYcw1ieiPlZZagfqXQ/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=5

Square Enix Music

There are thousands of tracks on the Square Enix Music channel on YouTube.

Ori and Cuphead Soundtracks in Concert at Game Music Festival 2022

From March 5th to 6th 2022, the Royal Festival Hall, London, will host a concert featuring the music of fan-favourites Cuphead, Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Having played 2 out of the 3 games I can definitely say that the soundtracks are awesome with Cuphead being all big band jazz and Ori being more a more meditative, lush orchestral. The big draw on the second night is a 160 piece orchestra that will play the music on the second, and final night. Tickets (available at the official site) start from £25 but obviously rise with different seating positions.

Over the course of the weekend, there will be several workshops and events about video game composing which promises to be a great experience for those interested in that field.

Unfortunately, I can’t go as I’m here in Devon, living my best life, but for those who can why not experience some of the most iconic scores of the last few years!

Power On: The Story of Xbox Documentary Series

As part of its 20th anniversary celebration of the Xbox, Microsoft has released a 6 part documentary series which offers a deep dive into the storied history of the consoles. Upon initially hearing about it I thought it was going to be a flag waving, 'Good Ship Lollypop', jolly hockey sticks puff piece about the journey of the console but dear gosh is it thorough, brutally honest and sincere.

It covers the glory years (the OG Xbox and the first year of the 360) and also the lean years (Red Ring of Death and Xbox One with Kinect). It brings in all the talking heads and they are very candid without any filtered 'golly gee' corporate speak. Rather, they admit mistakes were made and say so on camera, including a mea culpa from Don Mattrick who presided over the Xbox One low of highlighting TV and always online DRM- practically handing the console generation to PS4 until the Series X made a fight of it.

I loved the series and at about 4 hours it is a deep and honest dive into this gaming behemoth.

Neil Gaiman Does Desert Island Discs

Desert Island Discs is a British Institution. The format is simple: a guest is invited by the host to choose the eight records they would take with them to a desert island. Since it was created in 1942, the show has had hundreds of guests including such illustrious people such as Tom Hanks, Lily Allan and Bill Gates.

Now comic writer and creator of such great works as The Sandman and Coraline, Neil Gaiman, shares his list of essential tracks, a book and luxury. For those interested, here is the link to listen to the episode from the BBC website.

Hilda and the Mountain King Trailer Drops

Hilda is a graphic comic series and celebrate Netflix animated show about a young adventure loving girl. There are currently 2 series which adapt Luke Pearson’s work and now there is to be a Netflix movie, ‘Hilda and the Mountain King’.

Season 2 ended with The Stone Circle, the final and longest episode of the show so far. It built on the television series but also the story arc of the final graphic novel which was released at the tail-end of 2020. I reviewed the graphic novel but this episode is a little different as Hilda and her mum get thrown out by an accident occurring in the Nissa No-where Space. They end up inside a mountain inhabited by trolls and must make their way out back to Trolberg. In another plot, The Trolberg Safety Patrol end up stranded outside the walls with David and Frida and must survive the night. Both plots complement each other as they are about surviving against the odds in perilous circumstances. There are some pretty close calls and squeaky bum moments but it all ends up pretty well, until the final moments which sets up the upcoming feature movie.

With the animated movie coming out I wonder if they stay true to the source material or if they veer off and adapt it whilst keeping true to the spirit of the comics. Either way, I loved how they adapted season 1 and 2 and so am excited for 30th December 2021!

For those not in the know, here is a primer on all things Hilda. The graphic novel stories are about a young blue-haired girl named Hilda. She lives in the mountains, surrounded by fantastical mythical creatures, with her mother and Twigg, her pet deerfox. Hilda is an adventurer and explorer who wants to understand her world and has lots of fun and exciting adventures. With each event Hilda learns something, often something profound for someone so small like what it is to be lonely, how easy it is to be unkind to animals, why rituals are important to many and how we can make the world a better place by working together.

In the first book, Hilda and the Troll, we find out about Hilda's world. Her passion for exploring, understanding the world and art lead to a grand adventure in which she realises that her prejudices led her to treat a creature in an unethical way. She learns from her mistake and grows as a person and that is what these stories are about... having flaws, learning from mistakes and growing to be a better person.

In Hilda and the Midnight Giant, the second book, Hilda helps a lost mountain giant find his friend after many millenia alone. Hilda meets the hidden smallfolk on her way and discovers that the invisible hidden folk have been disturbed by the presence of her and her mother in the mountains. The ending for this book is particularly profound and beautiful and is all about the effect we have on the world without even realising. Heady stuff indeed for a 'kids' comic. The weirdness and slight tinge of unease reminds me of Over The Garden Wall or even Frankenweenie.

After the events of book 2, Hilda and her mother leave their cabin and move to the city of Trollberg. Hilda then adapts to life in an urban setting, meeting new people and the complexities that brings. She begins to understand the beauty that can exist in the city and develops friendships through the Sparrow Scouts group she joins and it is here that the main thrust of the graphic novels is pushed forward with each novel being an amazing and whimsical adventure. There are elves, stone giants, a Thunderbird and even a hell hound thrown in the mix... it all ends up making sense as the world is a tapestry of stories and characters, all building towards a cohesive whole.

The fifth book released in mid 2018, Hilda and the Stone Forest, ended on a real cliffhanger as Hilda was turned into a troll. Fans of the series had been waiting excitedly for the conclusion and with Hilda and the Mountain King, which was released only a few weeks ago, they finally got it. We finally understand how the trolls live and why they have gathered around Trollberg. The series ends on a note of hope and there isn't a deus-ex machina to make everything okay, and I like that, life is messy and things don't always reach a neat conclusion and this graphic novel series shows that and respects it's audience to understand that too.

LINK- Hilda Season 1 Review

LINK- Hilda Season 2 Review

LINK- Hilda Comic Series Review 

LINK- Disenchantment- Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Series 2 Review

LINK- Ms Marvel Can Change the World

Skyrim 10th Anniversary Concert

I’ve owned Skyrim for over 10 years, initially getting the game for the Xbox 360, but never got around to playing it properly. I think that I found the sheer scope of the game intimidating and so never really got any further than the first hour or so.

Getting the Nintendo Switch port I could pick it up and play and, during Covid and the long periods of lockdown, I poured a couple of hundred hours into it- finally ‘completing it’ mid-2021. With a game like Skyrim though it isn’t about reaching the end but the journey and what a journey it is. A huge part of the whole experience is the stunning music, composed by Jeremy Soule, which is one of my favourite scores of all time. To commemorate its 10th anniversary, Bethesda has released a full concert performance of the score. It’s my go-to background accompaniment music for reading comics and books now. Check out the entire concert below and be teleported.

Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema Virtual Exhibition

I am a huge Ray Harryhausen fan, enjoying his special effect modelling work in the matinee films from my childhood. I have vivid memories of watching Jason and the Argonauts and the various Sinbad films on a rainy Sunday afternoon back in the 80s and early 90s. This nostalgia is warm and comforting but, more than that, it is everything to do with the artistry Harryhausen displayed.

I was fortunate enough to see many of the models when I attended the ‘Into the Unknown’ exhibition at the Barbican in 2017 but now there is a virtual exhibition available online. I am hoping to experience the exhibition this weekend but it runs until February 2022 for all interested. Tickets are available here at the official National Galleries Scotland website.

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Final Fantasy VII Remake Concert At Royal Albert Hall

I love concerts and boy have I missed going to them over the course of the pandemic. However, with light seemingly at the end of the tunnel with the vaccination programme well under way here in England, there are some interesting concerts coming up including the Final Fantasy VII Remake concert. The concert will be held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 19th September 2021 and promises to be a great night. Tickets are available at the RAH website and, whilst I *may* not go due to living in Devon, I thought I’d spread the news for the FFVII fans out there.

Here’s what the RAH website had to say:

The FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Orchestra World Tour, presented by AWR Music Productions, is an electrifying new concert based entirely on the highly anticipated and groundbreaking game from SQUARE ENIX.

Experience all-new symphonic arrangements based on composer Nobuo Uematsu’s beloved FINAL FANTASY VII music, and the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE theme song Hollow.

Performed by the renowned Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, led by conductor Arnie Roth, with stunning, high-definition video scenes from the new game created exclusively for this concert by SQUARE ENIX.

I’ve been to a video game music concert at the Royal Albert Hall before, attending the Playstation in Concert in 2018, and had a thoroughly enjoyable night. So for those not sure if it’s worth your while I can assure you a great night.

Free Fusion Retro Books About Old Skool Gaming

Fusion Retro books have put a number of books and magazine PDFs up on the site for FREE for a period of time on their website. I bought Let’s Go Dizzy: The Story of the Oliver Twins a while ago and thought it was great.

Lot’s of great retro video gaming books are available for free from the Fusion Retro website.

Lot’s of great retro video gaming books are available for free from the Fusion Retro website.

In my original review of Let’s Go Dizzy: The Story of the Oliver Twins, I wrote:

Over 232 pages, Chris Wilkins, discusses their childhood, early interest in coding and rise to video game super stardom. The book is heavy in interviews and quotes from the twins themselves and so isn't just anecdotal but actually from the mouth of the twins. There are a large amount of photos from the time which help to provide context and the screenshots help to break up the large amount of text. Of all the sections, I found their evolution from the micro computers to the 8 and 16 bit era especially interesting as they discuss the Nintendo vs Code Masters Game Genie lawsuit and why certain Dizzy games weren't released on the platforms. The book is honest and covers the highs and the lows of their careers and for anyone interested in the life and works of the pioneering Oliver Twins, this is a must read.

LINK- 1HMPS Oliver Twins Podcast

LINK- Cambridge Museum for Computing History

LINK- An English Geek in Saudi

LINK- Streets of Rage 2 on Vinyl Review

LINK- Manga Exhibition at the British Museum

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends

LINK- The Moomins 80's Soundtrack Vinyl Review

Sweded Evangelion and End of Evangelion in 5 Minutes

Way back in the 90s, Evangelion was the hot anime thing. Its complex characters and quasi-religious/philosophical/Macguffin filled plot fueled a cottage industry of merchadise and conspiracy theories and I loved it!

Now, the team at Mega 64, famous for their numerous sweded productions of video games and anime, have turned their eyes to Hideaki Anno’s masterpiece and it is a riot. The fact that they were able to condense such a convoluted 26 episode series into just over 5 minutes is amazing and is well worth a watch.

The ‘making ofs’ are also illuminating as you can see that a lot of passion and heart went into these short films. Enjoy!

Anamanaguchi's Scott Pilgrim Soundtrack and Physical Game Re-Released

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game released in 2010, alongside the movie in cinemas, and was an amazing experience. As a beat-em-up, it didn’t bring anything new to the table, but it had an absolutely stunning chiptune soundtrack by Anamanaguchi and oozed style and charm through its gorgeous pixel art. I loved the game but when my Xbox 360 went into the loft and the game was delisted from digital storefronts in 2014, all seemed lost. But six years later, on my birthday of January 14 2021 and 10 years after it first came out, the game and soundtrack were re-released.

I pre-ordered the physical copy of the Switch game from iam8bit and the vinyl soundtrack from Vinyl Guru and can’t wait to get my mitts on them. In the meantime, to while away the wait, I’m loving listening to Anamanaguchi perform the soundtrack from their respective homes in full. It’s an awesome feat and well worth the listen. It brings back memories of when I saw them perform live in London’s Heaven in 2014… good times!

This Game Changed My Life Podcast Shows Profound Impact Gaming Can Have

Video games often get a bad rap, being considered 'a waste of time,' often by the same people who see nothing nothing wrong in mindlessly watching boxsets on Netflix in their pants. Now there's nothing wrong with that, and in fact I like doing this too but let's not think it's better to be a passive observer in the real world than an active agent in a digital one.

Well, the ‘This Game Changed My Life’ podcast looks at how video games have had a profound impact in people's lives by sharing real life stories. So, over 10 episodes (at the time of writing) we have varied stories of a refugee using skills learned within games to travel across Europe from Syria after civil war broke out only to create a game about his experience, a young college dropout loving a physics based space game so much that it led to a real job at NASA, and a tale of how Elite Dangerous united an uncle with his autistic nephew who was slowly dying from leukaemia.

The podcast is at points funny, touching and sad but the stories are authentic and narrated by the people themselves, ably assisted by amiable hosts Aoife Wilson and Julia Hardy.

This Game Changed My Life

Ikaruga Soundtrack Released by Data Discs

Data Discs have a great ‘track record’ (yup, I’ll get me coat) of releasing amazing soundtracks. I have already written reviews on the Streets of Rage, Sonic Mania and the stunning Okami vinyls. Now, they are releasing the Ikaruga soundtrack. I’m a fan of the Treasure game and like the music just fine but for me it’s not a purchase I’ll be making as I’m not that big a fan. However I know for many of you it may be something you like so why not order it here.

Ikaruga OST Data Discs